 |
| Danielle and Amanda Collins @ Swensens |
Twin birthdays.
When I was a kid, I hated sharing my birthday with my sister. It was a childhood of shared cakes, candles, gifts and friends. It got to the point that one year, I decided I would have my own birthday party. But as I look back, fondly, I remember our kick-ass parties where we co-starred as hostesses. There was the Mc Donald's show stopper when we were 5 years old, the only McDonald's I know with a huge garden attached. There was the Swensens ice-cream party in Singapore where my mother hosted 30-odd kids getting even more hyper on all-you-can-eat ice cream sugar rush and then the famous pirate-party onboard Borja, the boat we had named after my mother. It was that birthday party (my 10th I believe) that Ryan Clements snuck me down to the galley "because that's where your present is" and kissed me. In later years, there was the time that Danielle and I incidentally picked out the exact same present for each other (Tiffany's heart keychains in silver, which I still use today) and the birthday we had together in Bali... where in Danie tradition, she smeared cake all over my face. (This year she forgot and I wasn't about to bring it up).
 |
| Danie and Riani, Circa 1998 |
Over the years, we've spent so much (un-necessary) time apart that it's become a real treat to share my birthday with her. As I grow older, I realize that the most important thing in life is the relationships that we have with those we love. Having someone to share the joy with is well, twice as nice. In the past few months, I've been blessed enough to get closer to all the women in my family (and some girlfriends as well, whose strength, love and support has been so wonderful). It's funny realizing that what you've always wanted was there all along, but like a fool, you were just looking for it in the wrong places. Think with your heart!
 |
| Danie and Riani. Bali, 25th Birthday. (Quarter Century!) |
Sharing.
I also started to believe that it doesn't really matter where you are - it's always about who you're with. My Ayah* in Malaysia opened my eyes to that when I asked him where in the world he liked being the most. "You know Riani," he says, in his deep Ayah voice, "you can be in the most beautiful place in the world, but if you're not there with people you love and who love you, it's never as beautiful as it could be." True that Ayah. True that. Which is why I'm happy to share my birthday with Danielle these days. Because it doesn't diminish the special-ness, or the awesome-ness of the celebration. It actually increases it, gives it more depth and makes me feel that sharing - of lives, of stories, of experiences, of feelings, dreams, fears, emotions... gives those relationships a chance to grow stronger bonds. Gives you people to share the moments with, to look back at your life with. It gives your life depth, meaning and purpose. Ooooooooh that's a lot of deep stuff!
Be Inspired. So on this birthday, I turn a glorious Twenty Eight years. It's the inverse of my year of birth and I consider that lucky. Last year I tried to simplify my life (failed miserably at it) but this year I'm going to concentrate on my mantra for this year:
be inspired. I'm going to look for the goodness in people, in situations, in opportunities, in challenges. I'm going to look for the goodness in my heart, in those of others and be inspired by the world around me. I'm going to do the things that make me happy, and allow myself to be inspired by the stories of others. I'm making room in my heart and in my head and allowing good things to rush in, to fill me up, so there's no more room for any sadness, frustration or anger. Being inspired means leaving the dark corners in your soul and heading out into this glorious world.
A word on Chinese numbers.
2 The number 2 (二 or 两, Pinyin: èr or liăng) is a good number in Chinese culture. There is a Chinese saying "good things come in pairs". It is common to use double symbols in product brandnames, e.g. double happiness, double coin, double elephants etc.
8 The word for "eight" (八 Pinyin: bā) sounds similar to the word which means "prosper" or "wealth" (发 – short for "发财", Pinyin: fā). In regional dialects the words for "eight" and "fortune" are also similar, e.g. Cantonese "baat3" and "faat3".
28 | 82
So Danielle, I wish you a very double-happiness, double-prosperous and double-inspiritous year. I'm really excited about what the universe is about to throw my way - and I hope you are too!
 |
Danielle and; Riani. 28 years | Adam and Jacob. 4 years
Danielle and I ran into these beautiful twin boys on our birthday, and the were sweet enough to pose for a picture with us. I asked one of them what his name was, and those big brown eyes looked up at me and replied: "Four!"
* Ayah is my adopt-a-dad in Malaysia. I call him crying, I call him for advice, I call to ask for his opinions on stuff. He's a very sensible Malay man with a wicked sense of humor and a real understanding of what's important in life. He walks his talk. Everyday. How many people do you know who do that? |
